Journey to the Wheel of Time
by The Ring Of Tamyrlin
Summary: Ok, this is about a girl (me) who finds a magic ring which transports her to the World of the Wheel of Time. My first fic, so be kind when you review! AND YOU WILL REVIEW, WONT YOU? Rating is for violence in later chapters. YAY VIOLENCE!
1. Discovery

Disclaimer: If this were mine, than what would I worship?  
  
Have fun reading my truly stupid fic and please review. thanks!  
  
Journey to the Wheel of Time  
  
I ran down the east driveway in tears. This had not been a good day. Cross- country running in Gym, pop quiz in science, break-down in woodshop. Now, it was finally S.S.R., sustained silent reading, my favorite class. We only had it twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays, and most kids saw it as just a waste of time, but for me it was a time to relax and collect thoughts.  
  
As I passed one of the very few places on the campus of Paul Revere Middle School not blocked off by barbed wire, I thought I saw something, just out of the corner of my eye. There it was again, just a slight shimmer. I memorized the place, and looked at my watch. Since I had been running, I had plenty of time, and no one else was around. I put down my backpack, and climbed the short wall that lined the driveway.   
  
I knelt down in the grass to look; somehow I knew it would be hard to see. There, in a small hole which looked man made, was a ring. I looked back at the backpack lying on the asphalt, and realized that that must be the only angle at which it was visible from the ground. The tall grass, hole itself, and the rising wall hid it from all other sides. Looking at my watch again, I climbed down off the wall. I scooped up my bag and ran for my classroom, a few yards away, with the ring in hand.  
  
Settling down in my chair, I opened my backpack and took out my battered, dog-eared copy of The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan and propped it up against my backpack on the desk. The teacher, Ms. Harden, wasn't paying attention. She had enough problems, what with half the class talking loudly and the other half. Complaining even louder that they couldn't concentrate. Besides, she never looked at me. No one ever notices the ones who are quiet. Thus shielded, I took out my latest accusation. It was dirty, and I tried to clean it off with my sleeve, but the only result was a stain on my sweater and the dirt swirled around on the ring. I shrugged, and turned back to my book, sinking, as I did so, into my favorite daydream about the Wheel of Time. How lovely, I thought, to live there where there are no hateful boys, no homework, and no one judging me.  
  
At lunch time, I tried again to clean the ring. This time, the mud came off, and I began to see the design. The center was a circle, or rather, two half-circles, one black, and one white, which fit together like a yin-yang. In fact, it looked remarkably like a yin yang, except that there was something very odd about it, which I couldn't quite place. Maybe, it was the fact that I couldn't tell what material they were. It was too heavy for plastic, to light for steel, or sterling silver. Or maybe it was because they seemed to be bottomless, swirling down and going on and on forever. Oh, well. That was not something to worry about just then. I noticed that there was a borer around it, a green snake biting its own tail. "Curioser and curioser!" I thought, borrowing a line from Alice in wonderland, as I was too preoccupied to think up one of my own. I turned it over, and saw that the band was strange too, like a Chinese dragon. I wondered at it. As I was walking toward the library, the thing all those symbols had in common became clear to me. I hurriedly looked at the cover of my book. There, on a flag on a pole in the middle of a battle field was the ancient symbol of Aes Sedai, a circle half white, half black, the colors connected by a sinuous line. Turning to the inside cover of the book, I saw the great serpent ring, the serpent biting its own tail. I flipped to the back off the book "....a creature of red and gold, with arms and legs that shone and a monstrous head that looked toward the sun. It was the symbol of the dragon..."  
  
My head spun, and the book toppled forward onto the bench that I had sat on without realizing it. As I began to calm down, it occurred to me that I was acting very silly. This was probably just some token, or souvenir from some science fiction convention. It sure looked strange though, as though it didn't belong in this world. It didn't belong in this world.....THAT WAS IT!!!!!!! Wait! I felt as if I had brushed against something very, very important. I looked down at my book, which was open to page xi of the prologue. For some reason, my eyes dropped slowly down to the fourth paragraph, where Bathamel is taunting Lews Therin by telling him what he has lost.   
  
"Look at you! Once you stood first among the Servants. Once you wore the Ring of Tamyrlin, and sat in the high seat. Once you summoned the Nine Rods of Dominion"  
  
Once you wore the Ring of Tamyrlin......I looked again at the words. Once you wore the Ring of Tamyrlin. I stared at the ring, and slowly began to feel that I was sinking farther and farther into its depths.  
  
When I awoke, I was at home, in bed. At once, I looked frantically around for the ring, and finally found it on my right middle finger. It looked as if it belonged there. There was a permanence to it that suggested that I did wish to take it off, neither I, nor the ring would relish the experience. My dad came up beside holding a cup of water and a mug of chicken broth. "The school didn't want the bad publicity they would get by calling an ambulance," he said, "so they sent you home. The nurse said you would be fine. No, don't get up. You hit your head on the bench as you fell."  
  
"Oh", I said, and sat back." What happened?"  
  
"Well, I was hoping you could tell me." He was looking at e quizzically, as if trying to figure something out." The teacher who was watching said that your were sitting, reading, and then suddenly you just fell over."  
  
"I was overly tired", I hastily explained. My father had never understood about the Wheel of Time, and I didn't want to start talking about the ring." I didn't sleep well last night."  
  
"Hmmmmmm....."my dad said meditivly. Soon, he went a way, telling me to sleep, if I could and to rest if I couldent."I'm keeping you out of school for a few days, to make sure you're alright." He left, leaving an aspirin and a soda, and turning off the lights as he left.  
  
I lay there for a few moments, analyzing the situation, and trying to clear my mind. Finally, I looked down at the Ring of Tamyrlin. That was what it was. I was wearing the Ring of Tamyrlin. I wondered what it could do, how I had gotten it, and why it had chosen me. There were a million questions, too many to deal with at once. So, I slept, and hoped that things would be better in the morning... 


	2. Some Tests

When I finally woke up, it was around midnight and Mr. & Mrs. Social Security were asleep. Perfect, I thought, to do some investigating. Cat-quite, I turned on the light and sat down in the middle of the room, gazing lovingly at the ring on my finger. It was then that occurred to me to wonder how it had gotten there. I had been holding it when I fell down, hadn't I? It was a lucky thing I didn't drop it. Then, something I had noticed earlier clicked into place. It looked as if it belonged on my finger... Perhaps, the ring had found its own way onto my unconscious hand, perhaps its desire to be a part of me had been so great that it had actually _moved by itself_. Then, I began to get scared, all the horror films I had ever seen and all the ghost stories I had ever read came crowding into my mind along with thoughts of aliens, destiny, and bad twilight zone movies. That old, haunting tune came into my head...deedeedeedee deedeedeedee. The theme from the Twilight Zone.

I shook my head. "If this ring was meant for me", I told myself sternly, "then it's a good thing I have it. But who would have put it there, in the grass, where a person couldn't have found it unless they were very le lucky." Who, indeed. Had someone lost it? That seemed unlikely, as it seemed to fit me so well. It was not a question I was going to solve that night. I looked again at the ring, at The Ring of Tamyrlin. What could it do? It didn't seem highly unlikely that it was a ter' angreal, but all ter'angreal had to do something.

As an experiment, I closed my fist so that the ring pointed at the wall. Nothing. I looked at it again. I began to stand up, and tripped over a pile of my dad's old comic books, which he always left around my room, hoping that I would read them. When he first started doing this, I had staunchly refused ever to touch one of them, and so I read them secretly at night. The pile toppled, and I cursed quietly as I began to pick them up. As I reached for the last, its cover caught my eye. It was The Green Lantern, #43. It was funny, I thought, he had a magic ring too......He controlled his by his efforts of will.... Excitedly, I aimed my fist again, this time at the ceiling fan. _Wind,_ I thought frantically at the Ring, _Wind_. Nothing. I thought harder and more frantically. _Wind, wind_! Harder, and harder, I pushed my mind, until finally, a sudden breeze, picked up and rifled the pages of the comic book. I sat back, completely blown away.

I had gotten it to work. Now, there was only one question:" What was I doing wrong?"

The next few minutes were some of the tensest in my life, Comparable to "This paper is due tomorrow and I am not even sure what I am doing it on yet." It was simply this: fear. I was afraid, so very much afraid, of never discovering the secrets of the Ring. It was possible, I thought, that there is nothing wrong and that this is simply how it works. But how could that be, when it had left me weak and sweating? I could feel a headache coming on. I knew I should lie down, but I also knew that I couldn't sleep until I found another piece to the puzzle.

I began the rhythmic breathing to calm myself down. In-2-3-4, out-2-3-4, and so on until I had my mind assembled into some kind of order. I thought back to my struggles of a few minutes ago and reflected. I was trying to do what the counselor at school always said, what the supreme court always  did when presented with a new case, which was to look up the precedents. I certainly had never had anything like this happen to me before. I thought back to The Books, wondering if any of the characters had had to deal with anything like this. Whenever Egwene or Nynaeve had had issues with the power they had thought about the feel of it, and that had led them to the next step. Would that work for me? I thought back to what it had felt like in that one moment when I had felt something work. I had felt a, a resistance, a kind of flex or bend….like the power of the ring was inside a balloon or something, and I couldn't get at it. So, what could I do? I needed to pop the balloon….


	3. How to Pop Balloons In Three Easy Steps

How to pop balloons in 3 easy steps

Disclaimer: WoT is great, WoT is the all-powerful, I am nothing, and therefore I cannot own it, QED. 

I thought "As long as I'm using this analogy I might as well keep on." At first, I was completely random, first tapping it, then dropping it, but it didn't respond to anything I was doing. Finally, I through it against the wall in frustration. It responded to that alright. It hit the wall with a sound like a cat which wants very much to be a duck, a sort of _Mwack_ sound, and bounced right back, accompanied by a flash of sparks like Iron striking hot steel. I picked it up and examined it. No harm done. But then you couldn't hurt most objects of the power. It hadn't changed anything though. It was still locked fast as a balloon.

            Now, I thought, is the time to think slowly about this.  Tried to get back to the feeling, to get back to the point where I knew something was keeping me out. After about ten minutes of concentrated cursing, I got it. I drifted, letting my mind wander over the ring's surface. My eyes were closed, but it did not seem to matter, now that I had connected to it.  I felt all along the….the…..well; I would call it a shield until I thought of a better name for what it was. I had heard somewhere that the first analogy you think of is often the most helpful. As I thought about it, the ring's power seemed more and more like a balloon, but bigger than I had first thought. At first I thought it encompassed only the ring itself, but it was bigger then that. Much bigger. It seemed to encompass the whole world. But that couldn't be right, could it? Well, said the side of me that had been handling the factual information while the other side threw things against walls, oxygen covers the world. Maybe this is like that. But everyone can touch oxygen! Why can't I touch this? I needed to look at something physical before messing around with all that spiritual stuff. I dug around in my closet for a bit, turned myself red and finally held up a blue balloon, the fruit of my labors. I looked at it. "This," I said to myself, "is the world. But where dose the ring fit in?" I held the Ring up nest to the balloon and compared.

            The ring is small, that's one difference, and they are different in appearance. I looked again at the balloon; I was beginning to lose patience. It didn't look much like the earth. It was a different shape and had the knot at one end……_the knot at one end_! That was the key! The world was a balloon filled by its power and the Ring was the knot keeping it in. Several things became clear to me at once as I looked at the ring:

A) It was very dangerous because if the whole balloon is emptied, the world dies, or something equally terrible.

B) That is what the Great Serpent is here for. It holds the edges of the balloons knot so they can't fly any father open.

C) Infinite amounts of power could still flow out and wreak havoc on the world if the ring is left open or whatever.

D) That's something I'll have to be careful of.

E) The colors in the center Symbol swirl down because that's where the power comes from.

F) The Ancient Symbol of Aes Sedai representing both of the powers must be there for a reason.

G) That is a very scary thought.

H) This is gonna be wicked fun!!!

So the only question remaining was the original one, that of opening the knot and accessing the power. I would have to be very careful and not use too much.

I stretched and looked out the window to see dawn breaking. I fell into bed, with my ring on my hand, and my hand under my head.

a/n  Thanks for bearing with this horribly slow story and overly-used plot line! I promise this one will be different! How many of these have you heard of that have the real Ring Of Tamyrlin in them? Zip! Hints of whats to come: Sword play, catfights, Aes Sedai, and hot guys taking their shirts off.

Thank you my 2 wonderful reviewers and I promise not to let you down!

Hands out Chicken McNuggets

Whoppee!


	4. Travling

A/N Arya-Wolfstar was a little confused by that last authors note so here's a recap:

What I DID mean: Hints of what's to come: Sword play, catfights, Aes Sedai, and hot guys taking their shirts off.

What I DID NOT mean: so your sayin in future chappies...you'll have catfights leading to sword fights and aes sedai takin off their shirts for some hot guys?

This is what Arya said. It bothered me, so I decided to humiliate him in front of the world in general. Good going, Arya!

Traveling

Disclaimer: I don't own WoT though I wish I owned Rand! :) Yummy!

             I awoke at noon to the familiar, though certainly unwelcome, sounds of police sirens somewhere in the distance. You had to get used to them in Los Angeles, California.

"Fedora!" called Mr. Pastel from the kitchen. I never thought of them as mom and dad because they weren't. "Breakfast is ready!"

"Coming!" I called. I looked at the ring. Wear it or leave it? I tried to remove it, but it wouldn't budge. Guess that settles that question, I thought, grabbing my glasses.

            Breakfast was eggs benedict, my favorite. Just as I was finishing, my Mr. Pastel inquired as to my plans for the day. I responded with my usual non-committal week-end shrug which, on days when I wasn't allowed to go to the mall meant "I'll be on the computer all day if you need me".  He nodded, and I cleared the table before retreating to my room. I frowned at the ring for long minutes and finally turned on my computer. I hadn't been on yesterday; my friends probably thought I was dead! I caught up with them, did some emailing, and wrote in my online journal. I debated posting things about the ring, so I started a new Journal that only I could see. Then, on to my favorite WoT humor sites for an entertaining few minutes before at last turning back to what I had been putting off.

            The ring just sat their on my finger, deliberately, and menacingly twinkling at me. Back to my knot problem. It was actually quite simple, when you thought about it. The ring was the focus point for some kind of power which I was suddenly deadly afraid of and since I couldn't get it off, I might as well figure it out.

I wasn't sure exactly how I did it, I just thought of the ring as an actual knot and what I would do to get the knot open. _Help!_ I implored the ring. _I want to use you, but I need help figuring out how._ Suddenly it was as if I were moving in a dream. My finger traced the Great Serpent and then touched itself to the black-and-white disk. Suddenly a glow encircled the Ring of Tamyrlin, pulsing gently gray. I reached out with sub-concise tentacles towards the suddenly swirling tones of the symbol. I felt….._something_…..coming up that tentacle, and latch onto my body.  And then it came, all of a sudden this great streaming rush of information and **power **enter my body and mind. I felt that I looked down from a tall mountain, looking down at all of creation. This was the power I had been so afraid to face only minutes before? It was exactly as I had suspected, a blending of Saidin and Saidar, but not as terrible as I had imagined.

What I had thought of was a struggle for survival, joined with a struggle to be calm, so great that it would kill me. This was exactly the opposite. Instead if fighting each other, the powers, the Power, balanced itself out, the chaos of Saidin working with the perverse peacefulness of Saidar to produce a viable Power that flexed easily to my will, but at the same time did not fight me. No surrender was necessary, not even very much concentration, just a touch of willpower.

I thought of the breeze again and the wisps of hair stood up on my head in the ensuing wind. I looked at the light switch; it flicked on and off, back and forth until my dad shouted for me to stop playing with the lights.

 I grinned. This was awesome! To me, though, it would all be for naught if the one thing I desired most failed to work. I wasn't sure how it was GOING to work with the two powers combined. I would have to trust the Ring and my own instincts.  I whispered a quick prayer to whoever I was believing in today, and pointed at the empty space in front of my closet, imagining as I did so a grassy hillside, the description of which had been drummed into my head. I added to that an image of a vertical slash in midair, revolving into a gateway. The two images were side by side in my head. I pushed them closer together, slowly, slowly, until they touched, merged---and vanished. I looked up, disappointed, to see a whole in reality, and on the other side….

I stepped through, careful to remain focused on keeping the Gateway open. I walked several steps up the hill and looked over the crest. There, spread out before me, was a city. It bustled and burbled the streets alive with activity. The few individuals I could make out confirmed my greatest hopes. I had never been to this city before, except in my dreams. Beyond the towers and turrets of the greatest fortress ever built, the sea sparkled in the growing sunlight and the sun climbed. I looked back at the fortress, to the top of the highest turret to see a flag. I looked back at the still pulsing Ring of Tamyrlin, at the band, then back at the flag. The Dragon Banner flew free in the wind, high atop the incredible fortress of the Stone of Tear.


	5. Leavetakings

A/N Hope you like it so far! Please please review! Free Chicken McNuggets for all those who do! Also, if anyone knows who wrote the song, please tell me!

Disclaimer: I'm not sure who wrote the song, but it belongs to them, not me. The Books belong to RJ. The world belongs to RJ. I belong to the Books. Clear?

Leave-takings

            I darted back to my room, and hesitantly let the Gateway close. I could make another one later. I was leaving.

            I dragged out my old duffle, the one with the straps like a backpack and thought about clothes. The only skirt I owned was black, and unsuited to the Tarien climate. I finally settled on blue jeans and a t-shirt, normal clothes, for me at least. I would stick out no matter what, so it really didn't matter what I wore. Extra clothes, fancy stuff including shoes went into the duffle. I looked at my Wheel of Time books for about 10 minutes before putting them in the duffle. If I needed them, they were their. Odds and ends went in, no cell phones or computers. 

            It was at that point that I realized I had no idea what time it was in the….well, I would call it the WoT world, WW for short. It could be after DR, after CoT, or anything in between. I decided that that was just something I was going to gamble with. Another thing I was taking a chance on was getting to the Stone alive. It was also then that I realized that weather I got there or not, I had no idea what she was actually supposed to DO when I got their. Go see Rand, I supposed, and try not to make myself look like an idiot. The Ring of Tamyrlin must mean something to him. My bag was packed, I was ready. I wrote a note to the Pastels, though they probably wouldn't notice for a while.

            I reformed the Gateway, just as before, and stepped out onto the plush grass of the hillside. Slowly, the Gateway behind me closed and my room vanished. The cool sea breeze played with my hair and the bag on my back seemed light as a feather. I went to the top of the hill and looked down at the city. As I started down the hill, a tune went though my head and unconsciously, I began to sing.

And we'll never have to listen

To anyone about anything

Cause its all been done,

And its all been said.

Were the coolest kids,

And we take what we can get

The hell out of this town.

Find some conversation

            I got closer to the city itself—and stopped dead. I smelled the air, and it was pure. No cars, no chemicals, no Astroturf. Some faint unpleasant smells, but nothing major. I liked it! I liked it a lot! I walked on into the city. Sure enough, people were staring at my attire. Oh, well. Nothing I could do right now. I only had to ask one or two people for directions before finding myself in front of the massive doors. It wasn't exactly hard to miss. The gates of the Stone opened and a uniformed officer stepped out. My very short lived fears about language were dissipated as he pronounced "State your business in the Stone of Tear".

            I had practiced what to say on the way in. "Urgent message for the Lord Dragon"

I sounded sufficiently as if I meant it to make him look at me sharply. He looked me up and down then signaled me to follow him. I went to the officer of the next highest rank, and so on for about 5 officers until finally I was face to face with the Chief Defender of the Stone of Tear. He asked me to sit and I did so. "I don't know who you are and I don't want to know. Very VERY few people know that the Lord Dragon is here and I want it to stay that way, understand? Now I'm going to send you to the Lord Dragon and you will not speak until spoken to, understand? You will show respect?"

I nodded enthusiastically and bowed low to him. "Good," he said and then turned the guard in the corner, "take her up to the Lady Cadsuane's rooms and remain until you are told to leave. Tell them she has a message from Commander-in-Chief Thedrin, That's all." The guard saluted and motioned for me to follow. I bowed to the Chief again and followed the guard out.

We walked up stairs and down stairs, with me getting increasingly nervous. What if he didn't like me, or thought I was useless? Down miles of corridor until finally we reached a door more ornate than any we had yet seen. The guard told me to wait, knocked, and went in. I heard him announce my errand and listen to a muffled answer. Inside the room, I felt two people embrace two different powers. Of course, the ring! I pushed the connecting cord of power back into the ring and the glow went out. The door opened, the guard ushered me in. I bowed very low to the ground, took a deep breath, and looked up into the eyes of the Dragon Reborn.


	6. Questions and Answers of a Kind

A/N I love you all so very much. Sorry for that typo in the last chapter, think I finally fixed it. Someone pointed out to me that I got Ishamael and Bathamel mixed up in the first chapter. Sorry, I always get those 2 confused!

Questions and Answers of a Kind

He looked much as I had expected, very tall, very muscular. He seemed angry about something, and his features appeared to be frozen in place, like an old portrait of a disapproving grandfather long ages dead. It was his eyes that caught and held me.

            They really were like dragons eyes, changing color seemingly at random. Those eyes registered surprise for a brief moment when I met them and I know mine did too. My eyes were exactly the same color. Same blue-grey color, swirling down like the symbol on my ring. That thought reminded me of why I was their. I cleared my through and started to speak.

"My Lord Dragon, I have come from father away then you can imagine bringing you something of great importance. Something thought to be lost forever, something that rightly belongs to you. Only you can say if this is what I think it is." And with that I held out my hand, the Ring of Tamyrlin face up on my finger.

Rand listened to the girl in the strange clothes, almost like Min's except of different material. She obviously had come from far away. But what was this thing that seemed so important? He bent down and took her outstretched hand, peering at the ring.

Lews Therin, who until now had been muttering uncomplimentary things about Cadsuane, Stirred and looked through his eyes. "That's…that's my ring! That's the Ring of Tamyrlin!" Suddenly, Rand remembered. He remembered this same ring being presented to him as he took the High Seat in the Hall of the Servants. He remembered what it could do, what he had felt behind the door. He rose to his full height and looked down at her. She stood quite still, looking up, meeting his eyes, not afraid. Why wasn't she afraid? She hadn't flinched when he had touched her either. Who was this strange girl?

I watched him examine the ring, then a look of dawning recognition passed over his face and he stood straight, looking down at me as if I were a little child. "Where did you get this? Where did it come from? Do you know what this is?"  

"It's the Ring of Tamyrlin, sir." I said.  I don't know why I was not afraid of him at this point. Maybe it was just knowing him so well, or maybe it was mutual instinct or maybe it was just our hauntingly similar eyes, but I felt no fear just then. I explained everything from the beginning, leaving out me crying, me falling, and my dad passing out. I finished and began to describe its powers, but he waved me aside.

"I know. I probably know more about what it can do than you do. You were right. It does belong to me." And he held out his hand to take it.

            "I wish I could give it to you, sir" I said, trying not to shake. This was harder then I had thought it would be. "But I can't take it off."

"What?" he said, his voice dangerously soft. I knew that voice from the books. It was his angry voice, his fed up voice, his I-am-so-angry-I-cant-even-yell-at-you voice. He was scared, I could tell, scared of what would happen if he didn't get the ring right away.  "What do you mean?" I demonstrated, pulling and twisting at the ring. "I could try with the power if you like, sir." This I said timidly, not wanting anyone to think I was cocky with the power of the universe at my fingertips.

"No," he said quickly, "that won't work. The Ring of Tamyrlin will remain on the hand of the one it has chosen until that wearer dies. You cannot take it off. What is your name child?"

"My name is Fedora, and I am 13 years of age." He hadn't asked for my age, but being called child was going to get old very fast.

"Fedora, I think you will have to stay here for a time." He turned to the guard who was still at attention, "Tell one of the servants to have rooms prepared" he said. As the guard left, he said "You win for now Cadsuane. We will talk later." And with that he swept out of the room, pulling his cloak of power and malice around him as he did so.


	7. Healed!

A/N  This chapter is lame. I only put it in because…well…it would be cool if it actually happened to me, ok? I have also just coined the phrase "Horny to write" which happens when you read your own cliff hangers and suddenly want to write more! (See chap. 5!)

Disclaimer: If this were mine, it would be in the toilet. Bottom line.

Healed!

That left me in a room alone with Cadsuane. Oh dear. I looked around, and located her standing near the fireplace, looking almost as if she were the lady of the castle. She examined me from head to toe, taking in my windblown hair, my raggedy jeans, and my scribbled on converse shoes. "Where are you from, child?" Those were her first words to me. My response was smooth and cool, as if I had had it ready.

"That is for only the Lord Dragon to know until He chooses to divulge it to others, Cadsuane Sedai." I gave her another bow, and then asked a question. "Cadsuane Sedai, where has the Lord Dragon gone?"

She seemed not at all taken aback by this. "At this hour he is always down at the practice courts, Fedora. Why do you wish to know?"

"I merely thought that he left somewhat sharply and in a rather startled state. I hoped that I might allay his fears that I have come to do him harm."

She nodded. "Very well. I will show you." She seemed pleased at how I had answered her questions.

She led the way back out onto the corridor and walked in the direction opposite to the one from whence I had come. I tried to examine things, the displays, rugs, and wall hangings, but I had left my glasses inside my bag to avoid even more notice and I did not feel that this was the right moment to bring them out. Cadsuane noticed my squinting, and asked me "Child, to you not see well?" She said it in such a gentle tone that I felt compelled to answer truthfully.

"No, Aes Sedai. Not since I was a little child." I felt no need to bring up the glasses, but I had no chance, for as I finished speaking, she reached over to me and took my head in her hands. I felt the cool flows of Saidar flow through my body as she delved me.

"You have matured late" she murmured, when she was done. Then she asked me to stop for a minute. She took my head again and this time, it was not the cool threads, but cords of white fire that laced through my body. Then it was gone and all that was left was a few black spots dancing before my eyes. My eyes. I could see. I realized what had happened, and looked around at Cadsuane.

"Thank you, Aes Sedai" I said and stood up. She was smiling gently and took my arm to guide me on. 

Sorry it's short, but except for you yellow ajah fans, this really matter as you haven't enjoyed it in the least! W00t!


	8. Swords and Truths

A/N Ok, people, if I get to dramatic or over the top PLEASE let me know!!! All of my teachers (a.k.a. the Forsaken) say I get to dramatic except the PE one (nae'blis)! Then again this IS a drama story…..Anyway; hope you like it so far and to all my wonderful reviewers; free chicken McNuggets! To newbies; please review! Thanks!

 (No, I don't read the books, they are the rivals of WoT and my worst nightmare is that the SoT and Tolkien clans will join forces and attack the WoTists!)

Swords and Truth

The practice yard was actually a courtyard which had been adapted for its current purpose. Racks of swords and practice swords sat along the walls, and in the center, two men could be seen, whirling, swords clacking in rhythm. My first thought upon seeing them was that if Jordan ever got a chance to come here and could only see one thing, it should be this. His words had hardly done justice to this scene before me. It really was like a dance. I couldn't even see the deadly part; I wouldn't until I saw blood shed. In corners, classes were being held, boys and young men learning under a master. They had all stopped to watch the match in the center. So had the teachers. After about five more minutes of this, the whirling stopped, very suddenly, the tip of one practice sword pressed to the throat of the other.

            The man who had won was Rand, and I did not know the other. Both were sweating heavily from exertion, and I could tell that it had been a close match. Rand turned, saw me, and stopped dead. Once again, I looked into those cold grey eyes so like my own and did not flinch. Now that I could see, I noticed the fine scars in several places on his face. He noticed my looking, and turned away, motioning to someone in the corner. Two Asha'man stood there, unnoticed. At his summons, one of them walked over and saluted before turning to me.

"Damer Flinn." Those were his only words before turning back to the courtyard.

I had heard of Flinn, and I bowed respectfully. He was muttering to himself, low, but so I could catch it. "She can channel Saidin. Not strongly, and there is something else, something alien to me. What is it? Who is she?" The next part he said out loud. "Who is this child? How is it that she channels as we do?" Immediately everyone in the courtyard took a step back and looked at me with a mixture of fear and hatred.

"Did you have to tell the whole bloody courtyard?" I muttered under my breath, but not so quietly that he could not hear.

Fortunatly, he only laughed. "I apologize child. What is your name?"

Rand had been listing to all of it. He called over his shoulder my information, and then looked me straight in the eye and said "Show him."  Shyly, I held out my hand. 

"No, really show him!"

Catching his meaning, I traced the Great Serpent, and touched my finger to the Symbol. The glow sprung up, every power-touching human in the area looked sharply at me. I took the tendril of power the ring offered me, turning it into a breeze to cool the courtyard. Cadsuane's eyebrows seemed to be trying to hide themselves in her hair. Both Asha'man were staring in blank incredulous disbelief. Flinn was the first to speak.

"Saidar?"

"Yes"

"How?"

Once again I told the story, including my current knowledge of its powers. Finishing with another demonstration. I used Air, floating towels to Rand and his sweating combatant.  He was about to ask another question, I could tell, but was interrupted by the formation of a Gateway just inches from my foot, this one woven entirely of Saidin. 100 veiled Aiel jumped out and encircled the courtyard, spears facing inward.  

They reminded me of nothing so much as Arabians, except that the Arabians I knew didn't try to kill people as was obviously the intent of these. The second thing I noticed was that they were all women. I groaned inwardly and turned to Rand. Sure enough, he had embraced Saidin, but didn't want to do anything with it for fear of hurting a woman. So our strongest channeler was out of action. Everyone else was looking to him for directions and the Aiel were closing in. There was nothing for it, I had to act.

The Ring came up, the Power went out, and there was a bubble around those inside the ring of Aiel. No one could see it unless they could channel. I could hear the guards coming, but they would never get hear in time. If they could, they would never get through the circle of Aiel. The Swordsmen and their pupils were finding that out the hard way. I don't know if what I did then was reflex, or if the ring told me how to do it, but even though I knew it was physically impossible, the bubble containing me, Rand, Cadsuane, Flinn, and the others I didn't know, rose into the air.

One man fainted, the others looked visibly uncomfterble. I don't know what Rand was thinking, but he didn't seem surprised and he didn't' look pleased either. I lifted us up and over the heads of the confused Aiel and the guards who had finally reached the scene, and put us down in the adjoining courtyard. I would have taken us farther, but I was already about to collapse, so I didn't push it.

I released the power as I had done earlier, pushing the tendril connecting me to the source back into the ring. The glow went out, and I swayed on my feet, looking around for a place to sit. Too late. I fell, my legs buckling beneath me. Rand caught me. Physically, not with the power, and I wondered why. I tried to speak, to thank him, but he just said "Shh" and picked me up. I suppose he must have carried me somewhere, I don't know, because at this point, I passed out.


	9. A Proposal

A/N Well** I** like it so far. Seems very powerful. I honestly wasn't sure where to go from here, so I'm winging it, hope it works out! But I desperately need more REVIEWS! Otherwise I won't know if I'm doing well. I know these are coming out awfully fast, but they are short chapters. Love & Kisses to all-Tamy

 A Proposal

I woke up in what I at first thought was a fancy hotel. Then I saw several things that did NOT belong in a hotel. The first thing I noticed was a chamber pot, which I used and pushed back under the bed before looking around. Lots of rugs made it very cozy. I noticed my bag in a corner and hurried over, fearing theft. No, the books were still their. I opened the wardrobe, as the events of the previous day revealed themselves to my refreshed mind. I was wearing a plain woolen nightgown with flowers embroidered on it in a soft blue. Queen-sized bed, silk sheets, fluffy pillows. Everything I had imagined a Palace bedroom should have. The wardrobe held a few things, a belt and knife, an empty set of saddle bags, a few odds& ends. I turned back to the bed and found a pitcher of water and a cup on the nightstand along with a note. It said:

Fedora,

            DO NOT use the Ring any more just now. After you have eaten, come to my chambers, any servant can tell you the way. Don't run, you're still tired. Also, if you have a dress, it might be a good idea to wear it.

                                                -Rand al'Thor

I read it twice, then put it down and turned at the sound of the door opening. It was a maid bearing a tray, which she put down on a small table before curtsying and asking if I required anything else. I old her no and she left. Breakfast consisted of porridge with honey and nuts and toast, with a dish of apple slices to follow. Afterwards, I put on my best black skirt and shirt. I wore the matching leggings, and after a minutes contemplation, the black shoes with inch and a half heels. If he wanted me to blend in, this was the best I could do. Before leaving, I surveyed myself in the mirror.

The skirt was full length , and had several ruffles at the bottom. It billowed when I twirled, and the shirt was plain black with a three quarter length sleeve. The shoes and stockings were also black. The only bit of color was the ring. I liked it. I brushed my hair, gave my face a quick scrub before opening the door and stepping out into the corridor.

A fresh-faced serving girl gave me directions, the room was just across the hall and down. I thanked her cheerily and went on my way, the shoes clicking away to themselves beneath me.

I knocked shyly on the door, my resolve gone once faced with actually talking to him again. At the occupant's sharp "Come!" I opened the door just wide enough to slip in and closed it behind me. I took two steps into the room, clicked my heels together, and curtsied. Now where had that come from? I looked up to see him sitting in a chair with a book in his hands. He cleared his throat before starting to speak.

"First, I would like to thank you for what you did last night." I started to speak, to say that it was nothing, but he held up his hand. " It was not nothing. The rest of us just stood there, looking like fools, but the child who had barely any knowledge of the power, saved us all."

"I did not mean to make my Lord look like a fool." I murmured, keeping my head down. Why had I been feeling cheerful about this meeting? "But the Aiel would have killed my Lord before anyone else could have done anything."

He nodded, and then asked a question I had been expecting ever since I first came. "Where did you come from?"

"From another world" I said, and told him about everything. Almost everything. Not about the Books, or about how I knew about him, or about Traveling in a world where no one could channel. Just the basic facts. When I was finished, he nodded.

"We will not speak of it again. I will not ask you how you know about the ring, as I suspect I would not like the answer, nor how you knew I was here. I doubt you are a spy, and I think you've proved you aren't an assassin. So here is what I am going to do. It has been pointed out to me by various councils, that with that ring you are more powerful than the strongest channelers of the Black and White Towers put together. Thus, you would make the ideal ally. But you do not know how to use your power. It could kill you if you do not learn. I am the only one who knows how to use it, so I am going to teach you. You will remain in the rooms you have now, and we shall have lessons daily, starting right now. How does that sound?"

How did that SOUND? I wanted to jump up and down and do my 'Happy Dance' and I might've if the door behind me hadn't crashed open at that moment, sending me to the floor. I rolled over in an instant, activating the ring in the same movement, my closed fist aimed at the chest of the intruder.


	10. An Objection

A/N Like that last chapter? I should hope so! W00t! which once again means…….nothing! Thank you!

An Objection

In an instant Rand had thrown a shield around the Ring itself. I looked back to see stark terror on his face, and looking back I could see why. Min Farshaw stood in the doorway, clearly not understanding what was going on, but clearly not liking it. She frowned down at me, then at Rand, before calmly closing the door, and walking into the center of the room.

"Who is she?" Her voice was hard with suspicion and I was most alarmed to see she had a knife out. "What is she doing here? One of the maids told me a strangely dressed girl was in this room, and couldn't tell me why, so I thought I would come and investigate."

"Min," Rand was calm, which surprised me. "This is Fedora and she is going to be my new pupil." He crossed the room, and offered me a hand up, never taking his eyes of Min. "Fedora, this is-"

"Min Farshaw, I know." Now why, WHY had I said that? Now he knew that I knew things about him! Shit!

He raised an eyebrow at me. That was all. I had expected demands to know who I was and how I knew her. Min just stared. I took his hand and stood, brushing off my skirt and looking up before curtsying. I met her eyes and saw the start of surprise as she met mine.

"Fedora, I think you should leave now. I will send for you later." He was cool and collected again, just as he had been before.

I curtsied once more, murmuring "My Lord Dragon" before leaving.

As the door closed behind me, I heard Min start to speak again. Back in my rooms, I went straight to the bedroom to change into my comfortable clothes. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! Why? Why could I not keep my mouth shut for ONE BLOODY MINUTE? SHIT! I heard voices, and looked around for the source. They were coming from the outside my room, the side where the corridor was. I pressed my head up to the rug, and heard indistinct mutters on the other side. I pushed aside one of the rugs, and pressed my ear to the cool wooden paneling. Now the voices were distinct. I must have left the door a crack open. Min's voice was shouting as I begun to listen.

"…fob her off on someone else! Flinn could do it, or Narishma! Pair her up with one of the sisters and..."

"It doesn't work like that, Min! The combination of both powers is completely different than anything this world knows! I don't think even Moiraine could have explained this!"

"Then how do you know about it? And what does that ring have to do with it? Who is she anyway? How do you know she isn't a spy, or a darkfriend?"

Rand related my information as briefly as possible and then the events of the afternoon. He finished by re-stating the current state of affairs and then took a deep before answering her other questions. "It used to belong to Lews Therin. Don't ask me how, but a lot of what he once knew is in my head and that ring is part of it. As to why I want to teach her, well… I don't really know, except that she needs my help, or the ring will kill her."

"But aren't you afraid she'll get hurt?" That was it. She had hit on the one thing that Rand feared most, apart from dieing or losing the Last Battle. The endangerment or killing of a woman.

"Yes. You should know I'm terrified she'll get hurt from being around me. Besides, I won't let her get too close. Just teach her what she needs to know to survive, and then shes gone. Anyway," he said, laughing slightly, "I told you about this afternoon. She can defend herself, and me if need be. Isn't that why I let you stay?"

"Sheepherder, you let me stay because you would have had to knock me unconscious otherwise" her resolve was gone now; just a dry humor was left. I heard him kiss her and then the door closed all the way.

I sat back on the bed, thinking. It was perfectly understandable, of course, that Min was worried. I just wished I was more sure of myself.


	11. Lost and Found

A/N Hope you liked that last chapter! Rather hard to tell because YOU DON'T REVIEW! Do it! Right now! But first read this chapter! Thank you!

Disclaimer: This all belongs to Robert Jordan, except for the parts that belong to Douglas Adams, the parts that belong to Blink 182, and the very, very few parts that belong to me.

Lost & Found

After a lunch, I washed and then set out to do some exploring. The corridors ware floored in white, black, and grey tile, with thin cracks and occasional holes where tile met wall. The walls were covered in rugs depicting everything from battle scenes to the founding of the city of Tear. In corners and niches in the walls, there were vases, figurines, or statues. The ceilings were plain white. Any lighting in the hallways at night came from the torches bracketed in the walls every few yards. In the daytime, light came the large windows that lined the outsides of the outmost facing corridors.

            The people I passed on the way were mostly servants, who gave me a quick bow and a long stare before going about their business. Once in a while, I would pass a Lord or Lady, and I would pause and give a short bow, and they would return it. This surprised me, but I didn't ask, and they didn't tell. After a long time, it began to grow dark, the servants went around lighting torches, and my feet started to hurt. I saw several maids go by with dinner trays, and wondered if one of them was mine. I tried to remember how many flights of stairs I had climbed and descended to get back to my room, but I couldn't. I kept walking. I knew I should ask a servant for directions, but suddenly, they all seemed to be gone.

            I had now officially begun to panic, and started running down and around corridors completely at random. Up, down, left, right, once or twice I just turned around and ran in the other direction for a while, I was that hysterical. I ran around one last corner, banged smack into what felt like a football goal post, and for the second time that day, went sprawling to the ground. Oddly, my brain took this moment to remind me of a bad tap-dance joke I had heard a long time ago. "Step, shuffle, cramp, fall, flap, flap, flap your arms in pain-scream-shuffle!"

 I shook my head to clear it of nonsense, and took the hand that the goal post offered me. The goal post turned out, of course to be Rand, who had been alarmed when I hadn't been in my rooms and come looking for me, and was now struggling to hold in laughter at my predicament. I bowed, silently ordering the room to stop spinning and behave itself. I tried not to blush red with embarrassment as we began to walk down the corridor my rooms, just a few hundred yards away. Rand had gotten some sparse control over his mirth and was now attempting to speak.

"It really isn't that funny. Light knows I used to get lost here often enough. Don't think I ever actually panicked to the point where I started running, though. Good thing I found you when I did before you ran into a flaming torch or something. You really shouldn't go wandering off, especially if you don't really know where you are to start with."

"It is funny, my Lord. I am sorry I wasn't there when you came."

"Actually, one of the maids came to say that you hadn't come back for dinner. I did want to talk to you though, our discussion was interrupted earlier. You heard what Min said?"

This took me aback as I didn't realize anyone had heard me listening. "Sir?" I asked cautiously. No sense admitting everything until I was sure we were talking about the same thing.

"Why did you think I left the door open? I wanted you to know what you might be up against in the next few days. I just want you to know that I do trust you. Right up until the day I have reason to believe otherwise. It's up to you to keep that trust."

"But, why, sir? How do you know you can trust me? How do you know I haven't been sent as a spy?"

"Because your too naïve, too young. You are nothing more than a very confused young lady. Not a child, I don't think. You don't act like a child, in most ways. I don't hold with Cadsuane, that the best way to make others show respect is to treat them like they don't matter." He cleared his throat before continuing, "I would like you to join me and my associates for dinner tomorrow. I spoke to them about you, and they are most curious. I don't think they quite believe you're who you say you are. What can we do to convince them?"

"I have an idea, my Lord Dragon" as I told him my idea, my insides cackled with glee as I had always wanted to do something like this. He smiled, before agreeing. "As long as you live here, you will need a title. You cannot be a Lady, because you have no noble house, so we have to make something up. What do you think you should be called?"

This was it. The thing I had been dreaming about for a long, long time, a title. "If it pleases you, sir, I could be just 'The Ring of Tamyrlin'. It's simple, it makes sense, and it sounds important."

He nodded. He seemed pleased, though I wasn't sure why. "I like it." He put a hand on my head, and said the words that changed my life. "I hereby proclaim you to be, now and forever, The Ring of Tamyrlin."


	12. The Aftermath of the Last Chapter

A/N Well, I got a few reviews, so that's nice. Hope you all like it so far. I am against going back and editing, I prefer to fill in the plot holes as I go along. Anyone who objects to this can go to hell.

Disclaimer: I am running out of witty things to say in these disclaimers. Everything belongs to RJ, and the…erg…..EXTRA stuff belongs to my friend. I, as yet, own nothing because I cannot think of an original plotline and therefore cannot write a book which I can reasonably expect to make money off of.

The Aftermath of the Last Chapter

I was ready to jump for joy and dance around in a circle. Instead I just said "Thank you, my Lord. That is a great honor."

He grinned. I honestly don't know how he knew how I felt at that point, because the next thing he said was "Go one. Tell me how you really feel."

Unfortunately for him, I obeyed. I shrieked my delight and danced around the hallway banging into walls and causing several heads to pop out of doors along the hallway. When I finally finished, I was sitting down in the middle of the corridor laughing and trying to catch my breath. I saw him staring down at me, and stood up, bowing respectfully. He was smiling again, a small smile, like one might wear after giving a sweet to a child.

"Well, I did ask you. So, before you meet the Lords tomorrow…"

"Lords?" I interrupted. This had not been discussed before. "My Lord did not say anything about Lords! I don't think I can talk to Lords."

"Nonsense. I said my associates; I assumed you knew what I meant. Besides, you talk to me. What's the difference?"

I shrugged my eyes down. How could I explain that I could talk to him because I knew him, had known him for a long time? "I apologize for interrupting my Lord"

"As I was saying….before you meet the Lords tomorrow, you should know a few things.   You are now the equal of a Lord of the Land. That means no more 'my lording' to anyone but me, understand?" he waited for my nod before continuing. "The Nobles, especially the Ladies, will be skeptical, at first. Don't let them worry you. You have the Power of the Universe at your beck and call, their opinion means nothing. If anyone attacks you, don't fight. Get out of the way and come straight to me. Got all that?" again I nodded. This all made perfect sense. The only one that irritated me was the last one. "And you are not to use that Power except in lessons until I say you are ready. This is very important. You cannot handle it yet. That bubble yesterday was almost your limit. Do you really understand?"

I did. "I understand, my Lord Dragon, and thank you for the advice." He nodded

"Good-night then. I will send a servant for you in the evening." Then he hesitated, put out a hand, and patted my head before going on his way.

That was it. I was about to burst with happiness, I skipped into my room, and ran smack bang into a serving maid leaving with a load of dirty bed sheets. I apologized and helped her pick them up before settling down to dinner. After I was in bed, I thought. "If any of my friends could see me now, they would turn green and melt into a little puddle of jelly." I smiled as I thought of the plan for tomorrow and wondered how I would last the day.

A/N Well! Looks like quite a stew, doesn't it? What is in store for the Lords? Why is Rand so concerned for her well being? What on earth is she going to WEAR?

Well, you won't find out unless I get three more reviews for this chapter! So HOP TO IT!


	13. So very sorry

Hello! Sorry to say that this is not an actual chapter! Sorry to all my adoring fans, but my computer is getting over a virus! And now for the worst tragedy of all….

When I took the computer in, I…..I….I lost the next two chapters, OKAY??? AND I'M VERY VERY UPSET ABOUT IT! THEY WERE CONCERNED WITH THE MORNING AND AFTERNOON before the dinner thing, which is what the next chapter will be about. These will now be referred to as "The Lost 2 Chapters of Day 3". Hope to get the next chapter up soon. Feel free to flame me, I know I deserve it……TT


	14. The Practice Courts

ALRIGHT!! I GOT IT BACK!!!!!! HERE YOU GO, AND THANKS FOR BEING SO VERY VERY PATIENT!

A/N Okey-doky, folks, I got my three reviews. Thanks to you making me wait so long, I now have two more chapters written and ready to post! Special thanks to the three reviewers I have not named! You want their names, go to the review page!

The Practice Courts

            I barely slept that night. Instead I lay awake, gleefully thinking of the dawn and what it would bring. After I while, I got restless and climbed out of bed to inspect my bag once more. It was all there. Everything was ready; all we had to do was wait for time to pass. And I was a Noble! True, only equal to a Lord of the Land, but still! More than anyone I knew could claim! Of course, I didn't really have a right to it; it was just a sort of gift. I wondered what the servants would call me. Lady Tamyrlin, maybe? I wouldn't mind, as long as they didn't call me Lady Ring, or some such foolishness. I giggled again, thinking of anyone calling me Lady anything.

            It was hopeless. Sleep would not come, so I picked up one of the books on the shelf in my sitting room. Wouldn't you know it was The Travels of Jain Farstrider? The single most talked-about book in the series. It was actually rather good. All about this person who went from the Mountains of Mist, to the dead nation of Malkier, and everything in between. I fell asleep like that, curled up in the chair holding the book, to be awakened the next morning by a maid with my breakfast. With it, there was another note, and another pleasant surprise.

Lady Fedora,

            I did not think you would object to that as a courtesy title, given certain alternatives. I signed the papers this morning; you are now officially "The Ring of Tamyrlin". When you are done with breakfast, come down to the practice yards, any servant can show you the way. Flinn was put out at being "interrupted" yesterday, and wants to have another go at you.

I know you might object to it, but I would like you to have a few dresses for state occasions, as well as some more traditional men's clothing. Even Min wears them sometimes, which is why she and a seamstress will be by after lunch to take your measurements. 

                        -Rand al'Thor

I read it happily. I rather liked dresses; really, I just didn't have much chance to wear them. Lady Fedora would work, briefly I wondered what some of the "alternatives" were, but not for long. Today I was wearing my most non-descript jeans and black t-shirt, as well as my converse. I made a mental note to ask Min about shoes and boots later.  I brushed my hair, washed my face, and gave the ring a quick polish with my glasses cleaning cloth. This reminded me of my new seeing capabilities, and I smiled once more to think that the bane of my life was finally gone.

Once out in the corridor, I asked the first servant I saw the way to the practice court. He was very nice and even offered to show me the way, though I explained that that was not necessary. Ten minutes later, I stepped into the reconstituted courtyard just in time to see Rand flung to the ground by a practice-sword wielding giant.  I didn't even notice myself moving, just suddenly I was their, kneeling beside him, ring glowing, firmly pointed at the other man. I looked down to see Rand laughing and the other man doing the same. My cheeks coloring, I hurriedly moved off before anyone else noticed. God, could I be ANY more naïve? Guess not. Fortunatly, no-one else seemed to have noticed. Good.  I hoped the other man wasn't a talker. At that moment, Rand stood up, donning a shirt presented by a servant. He noticed me standing in the shadows, and smiled. As if that were not enough, he chose that moment to call my name.

Reluctantly, I obeyed, bowing quite respectfully. As I straightened, he murmured "Don't worry about it. Min does it too, all the time." I looked up in surprise in time to see him speak his next words out loud. I realized that we were now alone in the center if a ring of people. "Many of you heard the story what happened here yesterday, and about the involvement of this young girl before me. The long and short of it is she saved my life."  There were cheers at this, some laughter; Rand quieted it with a hand. "For this, among other reasons, I have given her a noble title. It is my pleasure to present to you….The Ring of Tamyrlin!" He gave me a little push forward, and I bowed to the courtyard at large. There was hesitation, then clapping, then loud cheers. I bowed again, and retreated into the shadows.

I was joined momentarily by Damer Flinn, who stood beside me and watched the courtyard as it moved back into motion. "Don't you hate it when he does that? Did it to me once too. Well, let's have a look at that ring of yours." With that, he took my hand and inspected the ring on it. For long moments, he stared at it turning it this way and that, ever so often saying "Oh yes, I see, very interesting," and the like. After about five minutes, he abruptly dropped my hand and said "You take good care of that young lady." And bowed slightly before hurrying off to speak to Rand. Strange. I had the oddest feeling that he was afraid, though I couldn't imagine why.


	15. A Dress and a Conversation!

A/N Sorry I didn't get to the Lords thing in the last chapter, and I'm sorry to say that I wont now, either, but sometime soon. You understand, I would like to have everything worked out in its own time. A few notes:

To my wonderful reviewers: Free Chicken McNuggets!

Alright, enough babble, on to the story.

A Dress and a Conversation

          When Min arrived just as I was finishing my lunch, I looked up in surprise. I hadn't had a chance to look at her up close, and was surprised to find her shorter than I had expected. I looked down and saw why. No boots. She stepped in, took a deep breath, and held out her hand. "I don't think we were properly introduced. I am Min Farshaw."

"Fedora" I took her hand, a little surprised. I got her meaning though. She was willing to forget the incident yesterday if I was. I was, very. The seamstress who followed was a capable young woman, who took my measurements briskly and wrote everything down. Then we began to discuss styles.

"I want something full, but with a waistline. Something mature looking."

"Of course, my Lady, any particular color?"

Min spoke up for the first time since the measuring began. "A light blue would be best, or a black. Dark blue, maybe?"

I nodded. "Dark blue would be best, if that's all right. And I wanted to ask you about shoes." This last was said to Min, who nodded.

"I will see to it. Now, men's clothing for you." She circled me, and I fought the urge to turn and keep her in sight. "How do you prefer them to fit?"

I liked a very tight top and a slightly looser bottom. I told her this, as well as my preference for short sleeves. I also asked about collars and cuffs, and everything in between. Once we had all that worked out, the seamstress was dismissed. Min ordered some tea brought up, and we sat down to talk.

"I want you to know that I don't hate you. I'm just over protective. You can always come to me if you need help. Rand told me what you did yesterday. I could never hate anyone who did that. He doesn't hate you either. I think you amuse him. Long time since anyone has done that."

I looked up in surprise. Amused him? "How so, Lady Min?"

"Just Min please. I'm not sure, but he always smiles when he talks about you. Not like that," she said hastily, seeing my alarmed look. "He has me, after all, but….I don't know, like a niece, I suppose, who gets into mischief." I thought about this. If he liked me, maybe he wouldn't insist on sending me away once I had learned enough about the ring to keep from killing myself. It was a stretch, but I thought about it nonetheless.

"And you, Min?"

She sighed, and took a moment to compose her thoughts before answering. "I think you are a girl who has got herself wound up in the biggest tangle of the age and doesn't mind a bit. About right? As to weather I like you or not…" she thought another minute before continuing. "Yes. I can tell you won't let any man order you about. Not even the Dragon Reborn. I like that."

I smiled at her. "Thank you."

She smiled back. "Now I believe you need to get dressed for dinner. I will be back sometime this week with the clothes." We shook hands again, and she left.

I thought "what a nice lady" and went into my room to get dressed.

Min stepped out into the hallway and smiled again. The girl was nice. A little young, a touch of innocence still remained in her smile. She wouldn't go so far as to say she trusted her completely, but she was no longer as suspicious. She went to see where Rand had wandered off to, and if he would explain a bit more about the coming night.


	16. Punk Rocker Girl

Alright, here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for…….

The Wheel of Time: Not Mine

Other things not mine: Milk Duds, Monty Python, Rand (L), and pretty much anything described in this chapter.

Punk Rocker Girl

After Min left, I went into my room to get dressed. I striped off all my clothes and looked at the outfit I had laid out. All-black under things, black jeans, black tank top, black sheer over shirt with collar and buttons up the front, hanging open. Good, clothes weren't the main thing, though. 

I brushed my hair, dividing it in two over each shoulder. All the frizzles on top of my head were slicked down with slightly soapy water. The dived hair was put into two tails high on the very back of my head. My favorite hairstyle, which I almost never wore because it took so long to do. I looked in the mirror, smiling again at my face, without glasses. I looked like a different person. I WAS a different person. The old Fedora thought the greatest pleasure in life came from holding the High Score on Dance Dance Revolution Extreme at the Santa Monica Pier for three months straight. That had been the family before the Pastels. They had been her favorite, but I had moved when they decided to adopt another kid. I shook my head. That was behind me now. My hair was done, but their was still more to do.

My shoes were bright green converse, and hung with shamrock charms. The shoes and the charms had been donated, like all my other stuff, but unlike all of it, they were new. It was clearly an over site that they had been donated at all, and I was worried that someone would see them and say "Hey! Those are mine!" I had been collecting the rest of the stuff for years, but I had never had a chance to show it off, really, till now.

Bracelets with studs, spikes, and everything in between, a studded belt, a neck chain long enough to go around my neck three times, with suns and moons dangling from it. A few rings, one with a skull, one with a spade, two wristbands, with several pins each, completed the ensemble. On further reflection, I took off the belt, and brought out the one from the wardrobe. It was plain leather, as was the handle and sheath of the knife. That would never do. I took the knife off the plain belt, and put it on my own. Then I laboriously pulled some studs from the belt and put them on the knife.

I looked in the mirror again. The new Fedora stared back. I grinned, it was a mischievous grin, one that I might wear while ringing a doorbell and then running away. Just then, someone knocked at my door and I jumped a foot into the air. Well, some things were still the same. It was a servant to show me to dinner. I tried vainly to think of some excuse not to go. I really did not want to do this. "It's for Rand" I told myself sternly. "If I'm going to serve him, then this is how it's going to start." Very slowly, I nodded, and walked out into the hall.

I honestly think that walking into that room was the hardest thing I have ever done. The servant went in ahead of me and announced "The Lady Fedora, The Ring of Tamyrlin." Then I had to move. I stepped inside, looked around, located Rand, and bowed. It was a large room, with wine tables on the sides, and a large empty space in the middle. Through another door at the end I could see a dinning room where servants were hard at work. The most important thing in the room, at least to me, were the dozen Lords and Ladies all staring at me.

Rand saw my discomfort and walked over to stand beside me. He gripped my shoulder and squeezed it briefly before steering me farther into the room. All the Lords and Ladies were named, though only two or three of these stayed in my head. One or two were staring at me indifferently; all the Ladies were gawking at my clothes. And I had thought _what _exactly when I decided that full punk regalia was a good idea? The rest were varied between mild surprise and sheer blank incredulity. I tried to smile and nod at each name, trying very hard to hold on to my common sense and dignity.  I was one of them, now. Half were Lords of the Land, the rest were High Lords. They got a slightly deeper nod. Five were female, the rest male.

After introductions, everyone mingled once more, and I was left by myself to stand frozen in the middle of the room, looking from face to face. Three Ladies came up to me right away to ask all the very silly questions that grown-ups ask about your "outlandish" clothing. Then it occurred to me "These are just ordinary adults with ordinary thoughts about a punk who they have just met." After that, it was a simple matter of imagining that they were no different in any way, except, of course, that I really wanted to impress them. So I went about my usual routine, inspecting them while answering their questions with only half my mind, looking for the one personality trait they shared with me that I could build on. Once I found that, they would become more comfortable, and stop seeing me as a potential enemy and more as an equal. 


	17. The Singificance of Spikes

You guys are wonderful, really you are! But what's this? ALAS! No reviews for either of the last two chapters? After I worked SO hard to get them back? Sometimes I wonder why I bother with you people… Anyway, review or I shall call upon The Ring of Tamyrlin to smite you!

The Significance of Spikes

"Yes, actually, they can tell many things about a person if you know how to read them. This for instance," I said, tapping the Pirate Corp. Bracelet. It was one of my favorites, and had a big skull and crossbones on it. "It says to people 'This person likes Pirate Corp. music and also favors heavy jewelry'." I was having more fun then I had ever dreamed possible under the circumstances. I was the only one in the world who knew about these things, so basically, if I said a simple bracelet of green rocks signified a preference for non-alcoholic beverages, who was to know?

"It seems to me that one would worry about telling them too much" This from a squinting lady of middling age and stature. All she had done all evening was ask questions and scorn the answers.  I chose to ignore this, concentrated instead on the bowl of pudding in front of me. It tasted very much like Crème Brule.

I was sitting in the middle of the left side of the table. The snooty Lady was on one side, and a portly Lord on the other. Across the table was a young Lady not that much older than me. She was very nice, but seemed rather shy in present company. Next to her was another Lord who seemed sound asleep at the table, and on the other side, another, wide awake Lord who had been talking to someone else all evening. Rand was, of course, at the head, but every now and again, he looked up to see how I was doing. I always smiled at him, and, to my very great surprise, he smiled back! This from the guy whose face took lessons from rocks! Or maybe gave the rocks lessons! I forgot about this as the Lord beside me suddenly asked a question.

"Do all the people in—your world—dress like this?"

He doubted still, but not for long. I proceeded to tell him of the styles of Los Angeles, the Rockers and the Emo Kids, the Headbangers, and the Bassers. Also about gangs, and gang wars, school riots, and everything else that I could think of. Everyone who could hear was staring with wide-eyed incredulity, and those who could not seemed to wish they could. I raised my voice a little, to include everyone in the telling. They seemed like moths drawn to a flame, or perhaps like teens drawn to a TV. Even Rand looked interested. The old man across and down from me had woken up, and was just sitting with a spoonful of pudding halfway up. I grinned. Never had I faced so captivated an audience. I was finishing up the telling the virtues of Dance Dance Revolution Extreme and the amazing Funnel Cake of the Pier, when a bell rang from somewhere above me. "What time is it?" I exclaimed. It seemed as if I had been talking for hours.

"Just after Midnight," said Rand. All around the table, heads shook, trying to clear themselves. Everyone heard him and stood, murmuring about the lateness of the hour. I stood too, to thank them all for being so kind.

They looked surprised. One Lord, Marcian, I thought his name was, took my hand warmly. "Thank you, young Lady." I could hear the capital. I had done it; I had made them accept me as one of them. "It was a pleasure to meet you." All other heads nodded assent. I don't remember what I said in reply, I was simply dumbstruck. All I had done was talk! One by one, they bowed to Rand, nodded to me, and walked out of the room, some still talking.

When they were all gone, I blinked rapidly, and shook my head a few times. A voice behind me spoke, and I jumped. I had forgotten that Rand was still their. "What you just did took me weeks to do. How did you do it?"

I was still shaking my head. "All I did was talk. Though if it makes you feel better, my throat will be sore for days." I gave a start as I realized what I had said and to whom.

But when I looked up, he was laughing. I started laughing too, as I realized once again the insaneness of it all. He caught his breath and spoke again, "What you said was very interesting. And it was all true?"

I shrugged, and smiled like I had in the mirror, earlier. "Most of it. Not all of that about the jewelry. The main things were all true."

"Amazing, if you could write all of that down, it would make a good book."

"I might have to, if I make many more speeches like that." I rubbed my throat expressively.

"Drink some hot tea, it helps. Do you really jump into the sea fully clothed?"

"I only did that once! I was wet all the way home, and I never got all the sand out of those pockets! But yes, lots of people do it, especially if it's hot out." This was rather nice, just talking. "I didn't tell you the half of it! I could spend days just talking about the place! The sights, the smells, the way the wind…"

"Now don't start again, or we'll be here all night! Tell me this though. What did you think of that girl across the table from you?"

"She was nice. Quite, like. What's her name again?"

"The Lady Corla of House Walden. What's so funny?"

"Nothing!" I said, trying not to laugh. "I just used to know someone with a similar name!"

"Hrm. Well, you should drink some tea, and go to bed. Lessons start tomorrow, after lunch. Is their anything else you want to learn while you're here?"

"Everything!" I burst out. "I want to learn everything about this world! How do you ride a horse here, as opposed to in my world? What about dancing? Who knows, maybe even learn to use a sword!" I slipped this in at the end because it was the one I had really always wanted to learn. And the others, I had been thinking about them. Rand was laughing again. What was_ wrong _with the man?

"Why don't you spend some time wandering around and seeing everything before you decide what you want to learn first, eh? Oh, and this might help you." He pulled a folded paper out of his pocket, and handed it to me. I unfolded it.

It was a map of the palace. "Why thank you, my Lord!" I said, with just a touch of sarcasm. It had the desired effect, which was to make Rand laugh again.

"Go to bed." He said, his voice all mock sternness. "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, my Lord Dragon!" I burbled cheerfully. I bowed, and left the room, using my new map to find my way back.

Rand was still chuckling as he watched her go. A very funny girl, when she forgot to be proper. From what he could gather, the Lady Corla had the same problem. He hoped they could help each other. Before going his own way, he thought about the way she had said goodbye. Somehow, she had managed to make "My Lord Dragon" sound very mush like "Rand". She made the bowing seem just as casual as a hand shake.

Even if she did not prove as useful as he hoped, she would be nice to have around. "But she can't stay." He told himself sternly. "She'll get hurt." Briefly, he reflected on his hopelessness against women of all ages, and then went to tell Min all about the evening, and set her mind at rest about the Lady Corla.  


	18. Tea is awesome

Thanks to all those who liked the last chapter! Any suggestions for future chapters would be very welcome, as I have only the very vaguest idea where I'm going from here. Great!

Also, if you were a little confused by some of the references in the last chapter, read over the first 3 or 4 again. I changed a few things.

Disclaimer:

Rand: Still not mine! :(

JTHM: Not mine THANK GOD!!!

Most other things: Still not mine!

TEA IS AWESOME!!!!

I sighed as I sipped the tea I had had brought to sooth my aching throat. I was still having trouble digesting the events of the evening. I decided to put my mind on a shelf for a moment and think about something else. I rather liked tea.

I had had it before, but it had all been artificial and full of preservatives. This stuff was all natural. And the honey! I had never had real honey before! It tasted really great! The tea was faintly cinnamon and had some sort of herb in it. The honey made it taste like candy. Most importantly, it was doing wonders for my throat! I wondered that the modern world, well, my modern world, anyway, had managed to ruin something this good. It was just the right temperature, and I had already drunk several cups. I continued along this train of thoughts for several moments before feeling calm enough to gingerly approach the memories of the night and poke them with a short stick.

The single most unbelievable aspect of it was not even the behavior of the Lords. I had made Rand _laugh_. Nobody but Min EVER did that and I wondered not for the first time and not for anything close to the last, what the hell I was doing here. I could only chalk up my loss of self-control to the lateness of the hour and sheer freaked-out-ness.

Maybe I should re-think my strategy. Before I had concentrated on not making myself look like an idiot, now I thought about maybe, just maybe, just being _myself_. Rand liked it. Maybe other people could too. I realize now how stupid those first few days were. Well, I told myself, it wasn't as if I was going to let the Happy Noodle Boy side of my personality take over completely. I would just let the witty, slapstick comedy side peek out once in a while. That way, it would be easier to make it look funny if I really messed up. I decided to try it. If people wanted to meet me, they could meet the real me.

Before I could continue to think along these lines and have another cup of tea, the door burst open and Min flew in, demanding to know what had happened. Apparently Rand had been particularly unhelpful in explaining things and had spent the whole time laughing at me. Sheesh! After I stopped laughing, I gave her the details, including my and Rand's conversation afterwards.

"I can teach you to ride. Do you really not know how? I learned when I was little."

"No one rides horses where I come from, unless they have a lot of money. And thank you, I would like that."

"What I don't understand is why Rand found this all so funny."

"I chalk it up to being with those people all day. If I had to spend prolonged periods of time around them, I would laugh at a stone!"

Min laughed. This was working out better than I had expected. "They are a bit tiresome, aren't they? I begin to see what's so entertaining."

I blushed, wondering what to say next. I picked the first thing that had popped into my head at the mention of tiresome Lords. "I liked that Corla girl. She was the only one who didn't make nervous enough to jump out a window."

To my surprise, she nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe I can teach you to ride at the same time. She doesn't know how either."

"I would like to see her again. She seemed nice." There was a thoughtful silence, which Min finally broke.

"Well, thank you for talking to me, I will see you tomorrow. Some day you will have to repeat whatever it was you said for me."

"Rand probably remembers better than I. Goodnight Min, sleep well!"

After she left, I went to bed. I simply shut down my brain so I could get some sleep, to be rebooted over night, and, turned on again (hopefully) in the morning, when I could think clearer, and didn't have Happy Noodle Boy jumping up and down in my head screaming "Squeeze my nub!" at several dozen beaver hats.


	19. A Nameless Chapter

Alright, my computers a bitch. Shit! What the hell did I do? Oh, well, never mind. Anyway, here's the next chapter, and I sincerely apologize to the JTHM fans out there. You will have your moment. I Promise. Also, here is some pie for my poor unfortunate reviewers.

::::tosses pie::::

You're welcome.

Anyway…

A Nameless Chapter

 In the morning, I woke up to the smell of tea. This was something I could defiantly get used to. I sang as I dressed and readied myself for the day. Today's plan was clear: wander about in a vague manner until I found something worth paying attention to. Plan jeans, plain top, and only two bracelets with one chain around my neck.

My throat hurt a lot less then it should have. That tea had really worked! Map in hand, I walked out into the corridor.  I decided to try the practice courts first, as I already sort of knew the way. When I got their, the courtyard was busy with what I assumed was the usual chaos. I immediately located the man who seemed to be in charge, a grizzled old man who seemed to have been built like a piece of beef jerky, except perhaps a bit more leathery. He took one look at me, stared me up and down, and barked orders to an underling before leading me to an empty corner of the yard. His name was Garret, and he barked a short speech at me before beginning to pelt me with questions.

"The Lord Dragon told me about you. Said you were interested in learning the sword. I'll tell you right now that rank counts for nothing here. You understand?"

What was it with these people? Did they think I was simple? "Yes, sir!" Was all I said.

"Hrm. We'll see. Why do you want to learn?"

This was a new one, why did I want to learn? I shrugged. "I always have, sir. Not exactly sure why."

"Are you strong?"

"No." I wasn't. I had failed Phys. Ed. For the last three years. 

"Reflexes?"

"I don't know. Depends on which kinds are required." My legs were alright, thanks to DDR, but I really wasn't sure about the rest.

"Perfect." This last was not meant for my ears, muttered as he pulled a practice sword from a multitude he had been looking through. He handed to me, then barked something out into the courtyard before stomping off.

I worried that perhaps I had offended in some way. Garret was talking to someone else who scurried over to me. This man looked nicer, younger, and a good deal less like a rotting French Dip sandwich. 

"Hello, my name is Mikal. Don't let Garret scare you, he does that to everyone including his own children. To hear him tell it, you're a city noble who doesn't know one end of the sword from another. I happen to know that you are nothing of the kind. I believe you met my father, Lord  Marcian, last night. He spoke very highly of you, after he stopped gibbering about a cake of some kind."

"Fedora." I said, shaking his hand. He was cute!

"Alright, now to work. You want to learn the sword. I have been assigned to teach you. Light knows why." He took me through a few basic things, stances and so on, then told me to practice and report the same time tomorrow.

I nodded, too exhausted to do more. I left, doing my best not to drag the practice sword. On the way back to my rooms, I saw Corla again, with about three young children in tow. It was hard to tell, because they were jumping around like cats in a sack. As I watched, they actually managed to pull her to the ground and start jumping on her. I dropped the sword, and rushed over to help, my tiredness forgotten. I pulled them off her, giving each one a gentle slap on the backside before helping Corla to her feet.

"Thank you! I don't know what's got into them!"

"No problem. Where are you off to?"

"Nowhere in particular. Just having a walk."

This was the most  had ever heard her speak. It must be the men that made her nervous. We went our separate ways, I went back to my room to change my clothes and re-do my hair. When had Rand found time to talk to Garret about me? The man must have been up before the sun!

As I scrubbed my hands in preparation for lunch, I  thought about the afternoon to come. I had a million questions, but only a few of them mattered, and the most important one was "Why?"


	20. The End for now

Hey all. Look, I'm really sorry about this, but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to stop with Journey for a while. It needs some major revision, and I need to change many things. I've not left the story alone, I have a lot written about this as well as the sequals. It will return, I promise. New names, new friends, new scenarios. It's not dead, it just needs some work. I have a new email address: Let me know what's what, if the Journey is finally over. I'm taking beta reader work if anyone needs one.

It's been a great ride. Love love love.

-Tamy


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